Time for a proper thread

[NICK R]

Have we become too technical in our fishing?

Do we need all these hitec gizmo's,s when simplicity can and is just as rewarding with captures ,
Are we overpowered by what we read in the mags ]

Thoughts please

[scottish_and_mental]

With regards to Sea fishing i think as the struggle to find fish intensifies we as anglers , and those commercially fishing often have to look at every option that might just give us a better chance of finding the fish....
I remember as a teenager fishing with the bare essentials ( all i could afford - i even had an old laundry basket as a tackle box which weighed a ton ! ) , standing waist deep on the Havel lake in Berlin and float fishing a couple of maggots for some monster bream by the keepnet full !
Perhaps as with women buying everything the magazines tell them is a must/in fashion/guaranteed to work we also look with big googly eyes at anything that flashes , buzzes or has big shiny bits ..
seeing the young lads on the town bridge trying to hook out a chub or the odd trout with a 10 quid rod n reel combo and a loaf of tesco value bread brings a kinda warmth and always makes me stop for 5 mins just to have a wee look !

[fishypaul]

it is totally over complicated,

how many of the gizmo's on the market are there to catch the angler not the fish,

i am all for simplicity,

[NICK R]

What percentage of the gear that you carry around with you is unnecessary ,
Apart from bait i could get a days fishing tackle in a ice cream tub.

why do we need 200 £ plus rods and reels when a 50£ one will do the same thing , People spending huge amount on bivvies when they only fish in the summer ,

5 yrs ago i bought a cheap set up of 3 rods and 3 reels Which have produced as many fish as my more expensive ones ,Strange one that !" i guess it must be the angler not the tackle

[fishypaul]

99% of my gear is unnecessary,i go over loaded every time,

[cuckoo]

Bring on the bling

[NICK R]

What i find so funny is people saying how heavy everything is ,but carry 8lb of stainless bar

[JustMark]

I'm really getting into this wilderness fishing thing. Each of the spots I have fished or scouted in recent weeks is at least a mile from the nearest car park (Apart from Venford reservior, but that has it's own challenges). Others are nearer 3 miles so I have to travel light.

Keeping it simple is the key. I have a kit similar to the '58 webbing I used when I was being shot at for fun. If it don't fit, I can't take it. That includes my butties and drinks.

Having no regular source of income right now also means I'm stuck with what I've already got so I have to get creative if it's not catching to make it work.

Variable success rate atm, but the point is, I'm out there fishing, and loving it.

[NICK R]

Having no regular source of income right now also means I'm stuck with what I've already got so I have to get creative if it's not catching to make it work.


you can not beat catching on something that you have made or improvised yourself

[BoldBear]

I used to carry everythng but the kitchen sink whenever I went fishing, regardless of whether I was fishing team matches or overnight Carp fishing or Tench fishing etc., but ever since I had a stroke several years ago I have had to fish light with an absolute maximum of two rods plus a lightweight chair a small shoulder bag, an unhooking mat and a landing net. and nothing else.
Sometimes I leave the shoulder bag and chair behind at home and carry my bits and pieces in my jacket pockets.

I found that I didn't catch any less fish (if thats possible ) and for the last three or four years I have only fished oppertunist shortish 3 to 4 hour evening sessions usually roving streams and rivers, in fact I catch more now than I did fishing long daytime or nighttime sessions and lagging tons of gear around with me.

I now enjoy travelling light and although I have approx 25 rods reels etc. I only use around 4 of them throughout the whole season and the others stay permanently on the wall just gathering dust.